'Insulted' Hooda asks for revenge

Smarting from the jeering he got at Kaithal recently while sharing dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has promised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a payback.

While presenting the detailed achievements of his government since 2005 to people during Sunday's Vijay Sankalp Rally here, he indicated that the Congress was going into a direct electoral fight in the state with the BJP. He dared the BJP to announce its CM candidate and the seat he would contest.

Giving a considerable time to highlighting the alleged "anti-people programmes" of the saffron opponent, Hooda asked his supporters to avenge his humiliation. "Main jaanta hoon ke aap sab logon mein BJP ke us raviayye ke khilaf gussa hai aur is ka badla vote ki chot se lena hai (I know you all are angry against that BJP attitude and so we have to hit back with votes)," he said, adding: "I had intelligence inputs that the BJP workers might do something unsavoury but I overlooked it."

"I was confident that the PM would not allow dirty tactics. I was there in official capacity as CM. By allowing their supporters to jeer me, they (the BJP leaders) lowered the prestige of the PM's office. Yeh 2.5-crore Harynavion ka apman hai. Is ka badla le kar hategene (It is dishonour of 2.5-crore Haryanavis, and we will avenge it," he told the gathering.

He also dared the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) to prove the corruption charges against his regime. "The INLD leaders are behind bars themselves for proven role in corruption," he said.

Hits out at deserters

Without naming anyone, Hooda asked the voters to teach a lesson to all leaders who had deserted the Congress. "Bhrasht INLD-walon ko to maine sabak sikha diya aur who sab jail mein hain. In malai khoron ko thum seedha kar do. (I taught a lesson to these corrupt INLD people; now you (the voters) should set the Congress deserters right)," he said.

Striking an emotional chord with the crowd, he said he had vowed to do selfless public service after he had escaped drowning in the Ganga. "I have devoted my life to the welfare of the masses but a section of the Congress leaders have always looked for personal gains. When they failed to fulfil their wishes, they started making unfounded allegations and left the party," Hooda said.

Jeering of CM condemned

The State Congress leaders have came out with a resolution to condemn the jeering that chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had got on August 19 during an official function of the centeral government at Kaithal, where the Prime Minister was present. On Sunday, state Congress president Ashok Tanwar moved the proposal at Panipat and the party supporters passed it by voice vote.